Welcome to Team Sam We Am!! Sam was born in September 2010 with multiple CHDs including Double Outlet Right Ventricle (DORV), a variant of Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS), mitral valve stenosis, and an interrupted Aortic Arch (IAA). Basically, Sam was born with a detached aorta and half of a heart. As a result of his heart defects, Sam has survived three open-heart surgeries (one at 36 hours old, one at 6 months old, and one at 2 years old). Sam also has an underlying syndrome called Kabuki Syndrome, which has resulted in 14 other surgeries. Despite all of this, Sam is currently a happy, healthy, and very active rising eighth grader who fought for every breath he took and is now the epitome of happiness and love. He loves people, smiles every chance he can, and just enjoys life in general. If you have ever met him, you can see how much he appreciates life and the chance he has been given! He even makes grumpy people stop and smile. We have learned from Sam to take every day as a special gift.

Join us on June 30 as we walk for our 14th year in support of an amazing organization that provides non-medical support for families like ours (www.itsmyheartnewengland.org). It's My Heart New England helps families in and out of the hospital and we know first-hand how important groups like this one are. We walk in support of Sam as well as all of his heart friends and angels. We walk to spread awareness for the number 1 birth defect in the world. 1 out of 100 babies is born with CHD, yet funding and research is more than 5 times lower than for all childhood diseases combined and children continue to die because there are no more treatments left for them.

The way to change this is to spread awareness. Awareness = Funding; Funding = Research; Research = Answers and better treatments!

Thank you so much for helping us help others!
Sam and family